Image Credit US Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
Donations
I am asking for donations to La Mancha Media. Your donation will allow me to spend more time on editing. I have a full time job outside of LMM and have to take several weeks off in making these films. I especially want to spend more time making the charity videos for the charities we will film in. This is something I have only a small budget for, but I am committed to helping them either way. I hope that others would be able to donate a small amount to this endeavor. You can donate using the Donate button to the right. If you donate over $500 I can give you an Executive Producer Credit. But for any amount I will give you a credit in the Thank You section. I am also willing to provide you with other things you may want. You may contact me directly to ask. Please send a note on the contact form to the right with your email and if you want, your phone number, and I will get back to you. You can also call me. My contact info is on the About page.
Donation Update: LMM has already received indication from two individuals of their intent to donate to help in the making of the standalone charity videos. Many thanks!
Seeking Guides and Advice
We are also seeking anyone with knowledge of guides or places to film. We are looking to hire expert local guides willing to discuss on camera, especially those with unique histories. Also contact me if you have any other opinion or idea for the film.
Tech Aspects
Shooting on the newly released Panasonic GH5
Ultra wide 7 or 8 mm lens (15 mm equivalent on 35mm)
Mavic Pro Drone
All 4K (possibly 10 bit), 24p
Possible Themes of Film (some)
(In order of chronology, not importance.)
The Chamorro people (natives of Marianas)
The indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands; politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia.
Sky God Tagaloa
In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa is generally accepted as the supreme ruler, the creator of the universe, the chief of all gods and the progenitor of other gods and humans. Tagaloa dwelt in space and made the Heavens, the sky, the land, the seas, the fresh water, the trees and the people. Chamorro’s belief in Marianas as the center of the universe.
Ancestral worship and Taotaomo’na
Taotao Mo'na, also commonly written as taotaomona or taotaomo'na, are spirits of ancient inhabitants believed to haunt the mountains and wild places of the Mariana Islands, which include Luta, Saipan, Tinian and Guam, in Micronesia. Belief in Taotao Mo'na is present throughout these islands.
A latte stone, or simply latte, is a pillar capped by a hemispherical stone capital with the flat side facing up. Used as building supports by the ancient Chamorro people, they are found throughout most of the Mariana Islands. In modern times, the latte stone is seen as a sign of Chamorro identity and is used in many different contexts.
Star Mounds
The Pulemelei mound (also known as Tia Seu Ancient Mound) is the largest and most ancient structure in Polynesia. It is situated in Letolo Plantation in the Palauli district, at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa.
Magellan and the age of Discovery
The first known contact between Guam and Western Europe occurred when a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for the Holy Roman Emperor King Charles I of Spain, arrived with his 3-ship fleet in Guam on March 6, 1521.
Lover’s Point
The Legend of Puntan Dos Amantes (Two Lovers Point). The story of Two Lovers takes place at a climactic moment in Chamorro history, when the Spaniards take possession of Guam. For centuries, the Chamorro people have referred to the devotion of the two lovers as a metaphor for the resilience of their culture. Cite.
Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa
A book based upon her research and study of youth – primarily adolescent girls – on the island of Ta'u in the Samoan Islands. First published in 1928, the book launched Mead as a pioneering researcher and as the most famous anthropologist in the world. The book explores nature vs nurture, as well as in discussions on issues relating to family, adolescence, gender, social norms, and attitudes. The work is considered controversial in Samoa today, as society is Samoa is considered more conservative than was portrayed by her,
WWII History
The history of the early Japanese, the battles for dominance, the enormous US airstrips built to overcome Japan, the atomic bomb assembled and launched from Tinian island on the Enola Gay heading for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japanese Suicide Cliff
Also known as Laderan Banadero, the location where thousands of Japanese civilians and Japanese soldiers committed suicide by jumping to their deaths in 1944 in order to avoid capture by the United States,
The effects of the bomb on Japanese. The effects of US military presence on the islands today.
Possible filming sites Hiroshima or Nagasaki, memorial of the bomb.
Modern History and Culture
The role of the US Federal government as the main employer on the island. The history and controversies.
US Anchor Babies, or “birth tourism”, from China and South Korea. Many pregnant women from these countries fly to Saipan on a 45 day visa to give birth, so that they have a child born a US citizen who, upon adulthood, can petition for their permanent residence to the US.
And of course modern culture: mores, religion, morals, etc.
Contemporary Charity Work
We will be filming in one or more charities that are helping those in need in the US Territories. I will announce who as we get approvals. We will include some of their work in the film and will provide them with their own charity video they can use for their own fundraising purposes.
NOTE: All reference information taken directly from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.